The Dreamer
by Gemini11
Summary: Prue is visited numberous times by a smurf offering to help her... Is it all in her mind? Is he real? Is he more trouble than help?


(Part 1)  
  
"Okay, we just need a little help!" Prue yelled in frustration while looking up.  
  
Two warlocks and a demon were advancing on her and her sisters. Prue felt so helpless, how could they defeat three enemies at once without knowing anything about any of them. They had not even had time to consult the Book of Shadows before the three came bursting in the front door, interrupting dinner, no less, which ticked Piper off to no end.  
  
"I spent forever on this meal! You will not disrupt it!" She had shouted. She had frozen them and forced Prue and Phoebe to finish their meal. She had been under a lot of stress lately. So the three sisters had finished their dinner while cautiously glancing over their shoulders at the three men that had come to kill them.  
  
Next, Prue was standing there flinging the warlocks and the demon back with her power while Phoebe sat on the ground playing the spirit board with Leo. Piper was pouring coffee and offering it to the warlocks and the demon. They were refusing and throwing the mugs against the walls, just pissing Piper off that much more.  
  
"Okay, let me rephrase that. I need help here!" Prue shouted while looking up. Then she looked back at her sisters and they were sitting on the couch showing the warlocks their family photo album while Leo and the demon were playing hopscotch. "Oh, why am I asking Them for help. They could care less."  
  
Suddenly a little man appeared at Prue's feet. He was wearing a little white cap and a pair of white pants with little white, puffy, elf-looking shoes. He was a medium, dark blue color from head to toe. He was about as tall as Prue's knee, maybe a tid bit taller.  
  
"Oh my god." She sighed. "I ask for help and they sent me the Keebler Elf."  
  
"Don't insult me like that!" He chimed. "I am a smurf, thank you!"  
  
"A smurf?" Prue asked in disbelief. "You have to be joking."  
  
"I am not!" He chirped. "I was sent to help. Watch."  
  
He ran off and the demon and the warlocks were coming after Prue and her sisters were behind her once more. The smurf appeared behind the three evildoers and started throwing daisies at them. They stopped, picked up some of the flowers, and started picking the petals off saying, "She loves me. She loves me not."  
  
While they were picking the flowers to the stem the smurf sprinkled dust over their heads and they started giggling like schoolgirls. The smurf watched in satisfaction as the demon interlinked his arms with the warlocks and they all skipped out the front door apologizing for the inconvenience. They began singing 'London Bridge' on their way down the road, while people gawked at them from their doorways.  
  
"That was lovely!" Phoebe said picking the smurf up in her arms.  
  
"Almost as much as you." He said, hitting on the youngest Halliwell.  
  
"I don't think so, short stuff." She said dropping him on his head.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Prue, it's time to wake up." Phoebe said shaking Prue. "I know it's your day off, but you promised we'd do a sister thing today."  
  
"Yeah, Prue, we haven't done anything together for a while, aside from vanquishing demons and warlocks that is." Piper said.  
  
Prue rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed. She looked at her sisters, and then glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was eleven o'clock. Prue shook her head and crawled out of bed. She grabbed some clothes and left her room telling them she would be downstairs in a bit.  
  
Piper and Phoebe went downstairs to the kitchen. Piper started fixing a quick breakfast for Prue while Phoebe talked about a new guy in one of her college classes. A while later Prue came down stairs and saw a vase of daisies sitting on the dining room table.  
  
"Why do we have daisies on the table in there?" Prue asked upon entering the kitchen.  
  
"I'm not sure, I didn't put them there." Piper said glancing into the other room.  
  
"Oh me!" Phoebe said. "I was given them by the neighbor lady, she said they'd look great in out dining room so I took them. Who was I to turn down an old ladies gift of flowers?"  
  
Piper smiled, but Prue scratched her head. That seemed awfully familiar. Why did daisies seem to remind her of something scary? It didn't seem to be the terrifying kind of scary; it was more like the too weird kind of scary.  
  
"Hmm, that's strange." Piper said. "Our old spirit board is lying on the floor in the sitting room."  
  
"But I put that in the attic a while back, I haven't brought it down." Phoebe said.  
  
"What?" Prue asked. She seemed to remember something about that board. What was it? She could not remember why everything seemed so familiar to her.  
  
"Here's your breakfast." Piper said handing Prue a plate with some eggs, toast, and some sausage.  
  
"Thanks." Prue said. She started eating, and suddenly remembered her dream. She started to giggle and Piper and Phoebe started staring at her.  
  
"Something funny?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I just remembered the dream I had last night. You have to hear this." Prue said.  
  
She told them the whole thing, not leaving out any details, at least not if she remembered them. She told Piper about how she was offering coffee to the bad guys, and how Phoebe was hit on by a smurf, and how Leo played hopscotch with a demon. When she was done telling them about it Piper and Phoebe were looking at her like she needed counseling.  
  
"You need help." Piper said, looking at Prue with a grin on her face.  
  
"Did you eat pizza before bed last night or something?" Phoebe asked, forcing herself not to bust out laughing.  
  
"No, but the weird thing is that aside from how funny it was I was really scared in it. There were two warlocks and a demon, and I felt like we were…" Prue paused searching for the right word.  
  
"Screwed?" Phoebe offered.  
  
"Yeah, that works. I felt like I wouldn't be able to protect the two of you and that something terrible would happen to you and it would be my fault." Prue said.  
  
"Well, it was just a dream so it's not really important." Piper said.  
  
"Yeah, and we know you would do whatever you had to in order to keep us safe, Prue." Phoebe said.  
  
"I know, but something about that dream still really bothers me." Prue said.  
  
"You'll just have to forget about it for now, though, cause we are going shopping. Hurry up and finish eating." Piper said.  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait to go to this new shop in the mall." Phoebe said leaving the room with Piper.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Prue, this is an evil far greater than anything you can handle. You will perish." The man said.  
  
Prue was sitting in the solarium with this man standing before her. He was tall and had fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. His eyes, she felt, were burning into her very soul.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
"You and your sisters will perish." He said.  
  
"Stop! I won't hear it. We can defeat this! We've overcome things so much worse." Prue said.  
  
"Not like this." He said his voice turning soft and compassionate. "He will come for you. This is a warning, get out while you can. They will come with him, they will not stop until they have killed you, or everyone you love."  
  
"What do they want?" Prue asked, looking into his eyes.  
  
"They want your souls. Your soul will give them access to the power they have always dreamed of." He answered solemnly.  
  
"Please, tell me there is something we can do." Prue pleaded.  
  
"There is nothing. You must run, run and you shall live. If you live then they will not take your soul and the people around you shall live as well. For once they have the power that your soul will provide them with they will kill every mortal they can."  
  
"I won't let that happen, but I will not run. If they want to kill anyone then they'll have to go through me." Prue said, with her face set in determination.  
  
"And me!" A little blue smurf said, upon appearing out of thin air.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Prue," Piper sighed. "Wake up, we're at the mall now."  
  
"What?" Prue said, being brought back into awareness.  
  
"We're at the mall now." Phoebe said. "What time did you go to sleep last night?"  
  
"I'm not sure. It was late though." Prue said. She shook away a strong feeling of unease that she felt and said, "Well, then let's get to shopping then." She jumped out of the Jeep and waited for her sisters. "Where to first?"  
  
"We'll just have to walk around and see where we end up." Piper said with a smile.  
  
"Yep, let's go." Phoebe said, taking her sisters' arms in hers and walking towards the entrance.  
  
They walked into the mall and the first thing Prue noticed was a man staring at her and her sisters. He was standing next to the fountain in the center of the mall. He had bright red hair and deep green eyes. Prue looked him straight in the eyes and he quickly turned and walked away. Prue had a very concerned look on her face causing her sisters to stop and look at her.  
  
"Something wrong?" Piper asked.  
  
"No, that man just seemed very familiar. That's all." Prue answered. She wondered where she had seen him before, but Phoebe pulled her out of thought.  
  
"I think I'm going to go in there for a minute or two." Phoebe said pointing at a bookshop not to far from them. Piper and Prue both gave her a 'look'. "What? I think we should collect as much information as we can. Some of the books in these little shops have very good detail and useful information."  
  
"I think you're right. I'll help you look." Prue said.  
  
"All right, then while you two look at witchy books I'll look at some of the cookbooks and see if there's anything good in them." Piper said.  
  
"Don't you already know everything in those books?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Not everything. People come up with new stuff all the time, and besides with the club and all I've fallen behind on the latest dishes." Piper said.  
  
"Okay, Chef Boyardee, have fun." Phoebe joked.  
  
"Oh, Ha, Ha, come get me when you're ready to go." Piper said as they entered the shop. She turned and left in one direction, and Prue and Phoebe left in the other direction.  
  
Prue and Phoebe looked at all kinds of books before deciding to buy only four of them. They looked over the others once more in case there was a good one they might have missed. When they were satisfied with the books they were getting they went to find Piper. When they found Piper she was trying to wring her wrists free of a man's grip. His hair was a fiery red, and his eyes were the deepest emerald color. Phoebe started shouting at the guy, running toward them. He looked up and saw Prue and Phoebe and he turned and ran away.  
  
"What was that all about?" Phoebe asked, putting her arm around her sister.  
  
"I have no clue, he just grabbed me and said 'They are coming' over and over." Piper said, rubbing her wrists.  
  
"That is so weird." Prue mumbled.  
  
"What?" Piper asked not completely hearing her sister.  
  
"Well, that was the same guy I saw earlier that I said looked familiar. I can't remember where I've seen him though. I really wish I could." Prue said.  
  
"Me too." Piper agreed.  
  
(End of Part 1)  
  
(Part 2)  
  
"Okay, well since we're all okay let's go check out and finish our shopping." Phoebe said.  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe paid for their books. They received a 'look' from the cashier, which Phoebe obviously did not like. One they left the shop Phoebe said, "I can't believe people like that."  
  
"Like what?" Piper asked.  
  
"You mean to tell me you didn't notice the look she gave us when we handed her our books?" Piper shrugged. "I was one of those 'you're a group of freaks' look. I hate when people do that. Just because we're buying books about Wicca and Witches does not make us a bunch of freaks."  
  
"Pheebs, some people just aren't very opened minded. They've got their ways, which don't include witchcraft. Most everyone believes it's evil anyway. That's just how they were raised." Prue said.  
  
"But they have no right to judge us like that. What do they know about us?" Phoebe asked. Her sisters didn't respond so she continued. "They know nothing, nothing at all about us. Did they never see The Wizard of Oz? Was Glenda the good witch evil? Um, no, she was good hence the 'good' being in her title. Why do they think that all witches have to be pawns of Satan?"  
  
"Pheebs, whoa, calm down. You're getting a little over excited about this." Piper said. "Just let them live their lives their way, and we'll live our lives our way. Okay? Great."  
  
"You're right, I guess you can't change everybody." Phoebe said.  
  
"So, you said that guy told you what?" Prue asked Piper.  
  
"Okay, we've moved on to new subjects, talking about creepy guy is over." Piper said teasingly.  
  
"No, I'm serious, what did you say he said to you?" Prue asked.  
  
"He said that they were coming. I don't know what he meant." Piper replied.  
  
"'They will come with him'," Prue mumbled.  
  
"What was that?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I had another dream in the car…'They will come with him' that's where I've seen that guy." Prue said stopping dead in her tracks. "He told me something, what did he tell me?" She said trying to remember. "They want your souls, that's what he said. Something about our souls giving them access to great power."  
  
"Who? Prue, what are you talking about?" Piper asked.  
  
"I had another weird dream, and in my dream that man that grabbed you was warning me of danger. He said it was too strong for us to handle. He said in order to live we had to run from it. He said they wanted our souls to gain access to this immense power, that they would kill everyone I loved in order to get us." Prue said. "And then that smurf showed up and said he would stand by my side, because I wasn't going to run."  
  
"Okay, you do realize that smurfs aren't real don't you?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yes, I know that!" Prue said. "You aren't taking me seriously!"  
  
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's a little hard to take you seriously when you're talking about little cartoon men." Phoebe said.  
  
"I don't understand that part, but there is something frighteningly real about these dreams." Prue said.  
  
"Maybe we should go home." Piper said.  
  
"No, I don't think we should. What if he's right? What if someone is after us? Wouldn't the first place they'd look be the Manor?" Prue asked.  
  
"Well, then lets go to the club." Piper said. "I'm sure they wouldn't look their first."  
  
"Alright, lets go there." Prue said.  
  
The three went back out to the Jeep, got in, and headed to the club. Prue got in the back seat, Phoebe was in the front, and Piper was driving. Prue was staring out the window thinking things over. She felt like there was more to her dream that she just could not remember. She started feeling a little drowsy, but then something caught her attention.  
  
Prue heard her sisters whispering, and pretended not to hear thinking it was probably about her. She heard Piper's voice and strained to catch what she was saying. She caught, "…throw her off Golden Gate Bridge. She couldn't use her power to bring herself back up could she?"  
  
Then she heard Phoebe's voice in response. "I'm not sure, she might use her power to get something else to help her, I don't know what, but she's clever like that. We have to get her while she sleeps. Maybe a quick stab through the heart, I know you don't like blood, but then we can be sure she's gone."  
  
Prue was shocked to hear her sisters talking like that, about her no less. Phoebe glanced back and smiled at her, and she smiled in return as though she hadn't heard anything. Phoebe turned back around in her seat, and Prue sighed. She looked at the door, and noticed the doors were locked. She thought about using her power to slow the car so she could unlock her door and jump out and be gone from them.  
  
"Maybe we could cast a spell? Do you think we could find that type of spell in the Book of Shadows?" Piper was whispering.  
  
"I don't think so, that's for saving people not killing them. But I might be able to write us up one. If would have to be a Power of Three spell though, but we could trick her into saying it with us." Phoebe whispered back.  
  
"Or maybe I could crash the Jeep right now, so that only Prue would be hit? That would look like an accident and we wouldn't be in any trouble." Piper whispered.  
  
"Oh, I like that idea." Phoebe replied.  
  
"I could pull out in front of another car really fast so that it can't stop." Piper said.  
  
Prue felt like she might hyperventilate, she was panicking and she knew it. She couldn't believe that her sisters were plotting her death. She took a deep breath and Phoebe looked back pretending to be concerned.  
  
"You all right, Prue?" Phoebe asked, sounding innocent and sweet.  
  
"What do you care?" Prue asked out of anger and panic, she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know what else to do.  
  
"What do you mean?" Piper asked, looking at her in the rear view mirror.  
  
"Stop the car and let me out!" Prue demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry, Prue, I think we should take you home. I don't think you're feeling too good." Phoebe said. "Keep going, Piper." Phoebe turned and said to her sister.  
  
"Piper, stop this car or I'll do it by force." Prue threatened.  
  
Piper started slowing and finally came to a stop. Prue quickly unbuckled her seat belt and tried to unlock the door. It seemed to be jammed so she used her power to unlock all the doors. She got and started walking away from the Jeep. Phoebe suddenly tackled Prue. Prue threw her little sister off of her and got back to her feet. She started running away from her, but Piper and Phoebe started chasing her. She felt herself being slammed into the ground. She looked up and a little blue smurf stood before her.  
  
"Ask and I shall help you." He said in his cute little voice.  
  
"Please, help me." Prue begged with tears in her eyes. She felt betrayed and hurt.  
  
"As you wish." The smurf said. He looked up and waved his hand. Piper and Phoebe rose into the air and disappeared as the smurf suddenly clinched his little blue hand into a fist. "Have a nice day." He said and then disappeared as well.  
  
Prue rubbed her eyes and looked down at the pavement beneath her. She stood up and saw that her pants were torn at the knees, and she suddenly became aware of a ripping pain in her arms, legs, back, and head. She looked up and saw Piper and Phoebe jumping out of the Jeep and running towards her. She looked around panic filling her once more, she didn't want to use her powers on her sisters or they'd all lose their powers, they had already learned that lesson. She turned and started to run away from them. The more she ran the more light-headed she felt. She noticed something warm running down the side of her face and wiped at it. When she looked at her hand it was red, and she realized that her head was bleeding. She started losing strength and couldn't run very fast. That was when she felt Piper's arms around her, and that was the last thing she remembered before she passed out.  
  
She came to again a few minutes later, and Piper and Phoebe had carried her onto the sidewalk and out of the street. She looked around trying to get her bearings. When she remembered where she was and what had happened she fought to get away from her sisters.  
  
"Prue, stop it! Calm down." Piper started shouting. "Phoebe, grab her legs and hold her down!"  
  
"Prue, what's wrong with you?" Phoebe shouted.  
  
Prue fought until she could hardly move. She was exhausted and in a lot of pain. She finally gave up and started to breath faster. She started weeping, and then sobbing, as Phoebe and Piper stared at her. Soon she was crying so hard and breathing so fast that she began to actually hyperventilate. She was in panic and knew she couldn't fight, that her sisters were going to kill her.  
  
"Prue, please, stop that! You're scaring me." Piper said. "Phoebe, how long until the paramedics get here?"  
  
"They said ten to fifteen minutes." Phoebe answered. "What do we do?"  
  
"Go see if there's anything in the Jeep for her to breath into." Piper said, and Phoebe ran off to the Jeep to do as told. She comes running back with a small paper bag.  
  
"We got lucky." Phoebe said. She held the bag up to Prue's mouth and told her to breath into it.  
  
"NO!!" Prue screamed and started slapping at the bag. "I won't let you suffocate me! Stop! Get away!"  
  
Prue started fighting Pipers grip again, but she was too weak to break free. Phoebe knelt next to Prue and pinned her down seeing that Piper was having some trouble holding her down. Piper took Prue's face in her hands, and forced Prue to look her in the eye.  
  
"Prue, tell me what is wrong with you. We don't want to suffocate you. We don't want to hurt you. We love you." Piper told her.  
  
"Please, don't kill me." Prue begged through tears. "Please, I'm sorry, Phoebe, if I was harsh, but I love you. You can't kill me."  
  
"Prue, I know you love me, I don't want to kill you." Phoebe said.  
  
"That damned smurf!" Prue shouted. "He said he would help me!"  
  
"Prue, please calm down." Piper said. Then she looked up as she heard the ambulance coming down the street.  
  
The paramedics jumped out of the ambulance and doctored Prue up asking Piper and Phoebe what had happened.  
  
"She was asleep in the back seat, and then she just unlocked her door and jumped out." Piper said. "She just jumped out of a moving vehicle." Piper shook her head in amazement.  
  
"Well, she doesn't need to come into the hospital, she's not injured seriously. She landed mostly on her side, and broke her fall with her hands and legs, so they'll be sore and she's got quite a cut on her head, but it's not serious. She'll be sore for a while, but she was lucky, at the speed she was going when she hit the pavement she could've really been hurt." The paramedic told them.  
  
"Well, thank you." Phoebe said.  
  
"You should get her home and into bed." He said.  
  
"We will, thanks." Piper said.  
  
He left, but one of the other men was helping Prue over to her sisters. When he let her go he rejoined the other paramedics, and they all left. Piper and Phoebe both gave Prue a big hug that made her flinch, not out of pain, but out of fear. They both pulled back thinking they had hurt her.  
  
"Sorry, sweetie." Phoebe said. "Are you okay? We were really worried."  
  
"I'm fine. Why did you call the paramedics?" Prue asked.  
  
"Why?" Piper asked sounding shocked. "Because you were hurt. Why else?"  
  
"But you want me dead. I heard what you said, Piper. I know what you two were planning." Prue said. "I heard you two whispering in the front seat."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Phoebe asked. "We didn't whisper anything."  
  
"I heard you say you wanted to stab me through the heart, Phoebe. Piper said she wanted to throw me off the Golden Gate Bridge, and then that she could be in a car wreck and make it look like an accident where only I would be hit."  
  
"Prue, you're crazy!" Piper said in disbelief. "I would never want any of those things to happen to you!"  
  
"You had to dream that, Prue, you've been asleep since we left the mall. You were asleep when you jumped out of the Jeep." Phoebe said.  
  
"What?" Prue asked.  
  
"You were asleep." Phoebe repeated.  
  
"I was asleep? That…that smurf!" Prue said in anger. She calmed down and started thinking. She looked back up at her sisters and said, "I'm so sorry, I thought…"  
  
"It's not important. I'm just glad that you're okay." Piper said pulling Prue into a hug that Phoebe joined.  
  
"Me too." Phoebe agreed.  
  
"These dreams are getting out of hand." Prue said pulling away from her sisters.  
  
"We need to get to the club and discuss this." Phoebe said.  
  
The three went back to the Jeep and climbed in. Phoebe sat in the back seat next to Prue to make sure she stayed awake and in the car. Piper started the car and started for the club once more.  
  
(End of Part 2)  
  
(Part 3)  
  
  
  
Once inside the club the three sisters sat down on a couch in the back and Prue told them about her dream. Piper and Phoebe said they would never think those things, let alone say them aloud even if it was in a whisper.  
  
"I don't know what the smurf has to do with this all, but he has been in everyone of my dreams." Prue said.  
  
"Maybe you're being warned about something terrible that is coming after us and the smurf is a symbol of something that can save us." Phoebe offered.  
  
"What kind of symbol? What could a little smurf stand for?" Prue asked.  
  
"Maybe it means we have to use the imagination of a child to defeat whatever is after us. I don't know I'm just spitting out suggestions here. Maybe it means some little kid will save us. I mean kids are the whole reason smurfs exist." Phoebe said.  
  
"Maybe you could ask him why he is there." Piper suddenly joined the conversation.  
  
"What?" Prue asked.  
  
"I don't know, I mean maybe you could go back to sleep and ask him why he keeps helping you." Piper answered.  
  
"Yeah, Prue, why don't you go to sleep again and ask questions? We can watch you and make sure you don't do anything life threatening again." Phoebe said.  
  
"Pheebs, I can't just fall asleep because you want me to, it takes time you know." Prue said.  
  
"Not in the Jeep it didn't, you were asleep before we left the mall parking lot." Piper said. "Just lay down here and close your eyes." Piper stood up pulling Phoebe off the couch for Prue to lie down.  
  
Prue sighed and stretched out on the couch. Phoebe took off her jacket and spread it out over Prue. Prue smiled at her and Piper offered her own jacket as a pillow. Prue took it, wadded it up, and put it under her head. Phoebe and Piper went to the bar to get something to drink and Prue suddenly realized how tired she really was. She closed her eyes telling herself over and over again what she was supposed to do so she wouldn't forget in the dream world.  
  
Prue opened her eyes and looked around taking in her surroundings. She wasn't in the club any longer. She was at a park lying on a blanket that had been spread out on the ground. There was a picnic basket sitting next to her. She looked around for someone else but saw no one. The picnic basket started to bounce. Prue jumped back in alarm. The basket started bouncing faster and higher. She slowly got closer and then grabbed it. She held it to the ground and hesitantly unlatched the lid. A little funny ball shot out at her face. She swatted at it and it ran off. It stopped at the end of the blanket. It was a little brown fur ball about the size of her fist, with two little yellow eyes peering out at her. It had to legs that looked like chicken legs, but they were hardly visible. She wasn't sure if it had any arms.  
  
"Bah!" It shouted at her.  
  
"Bah?" She asked.  
  
"Bah! Bags!" It shouted and then jumped up and down.  
  
"I don't understand." She said.  
  
It took a cautious step forward and then stopped again. "Dom bah lat." It said.  
  
"Um, do you have a name?" Prue asked not knowing what else to ask a large furry ball.  
  
"Chip!" It shouted excitedly. It ran closer to her, but not to close. It stopped about an arm's length from her.  
  
"Your name is Chip?" She asked.  
  
It bobbed up and down in a 'yes' motion and then hopped closer again. It cocked its 'head' sideways and was looking past her. Prue carefully looked behind her and saw the smurf sitting on the ground next to her. He was smiling broadly.  
  
"You like Chip?" He asked in his cheery little voice.  
  
"Sure." Prue said. "Did you bring him here?"  
  
"Everyone likes Chip. He's a very friendly little guy." He said avoiding her question. "What's your reason for being here?"  
  
"What? What do you mean what's my reason?" Prue asked. "Why do you keep showing up in my dreams?"  
  
"I want to take you somewhere." He said. He stood and waited for Prue to do the same. He turned and started to walk away, Prue started to follow. He abruptly stopped and looked back at her with disapproval in his eyes. "Pick up Chip. He can't stay here alone."  
  
Prue bent down and held out her hand. Chip ran up to it and made a sniffing sound before hopping onto her hand. He ran up her arm and made himself comfortable on her shoulder.  
  
"Dooby kasha link me." Chip said.  
  
"He says he likes you." The smurf translated.  
  
"Great," Prue said in sarcasm under her breath. "Where are we going?"  
  
"That picnic wasn't just waiting on you." The smurf answered. He wriggled his nose and they were sitting on a wooden bench. Prue looked around and saw a playground. Phoebe and Piper were on the swings and playing on the slides. They were acting like little children.  
  
"What are they doing?" Prue asked as she watched her sisters start throwing sand at each other.  
  
"They are playing on the playground." The smurf said.  
  
Just then a demon shimmered in. He was a green color with yellow slashes going across his face and his arms. He had horns coming out of the side of his head, and his eyes were nothing but a deep blackness. He started walking towards Piper and Phoebe who were now making big piles of rocks.  
  
Prue tried to go help her sisters when she felt restrained. She looked down and she was fastened to a seat with four different straps holding her in. She looked angrily at the smurf and shouted, "Let me go! I have to help them."  
  
"You can't. They would rather play with the rocks." He said. He started doing a little jig right before her eyes and she felt totally confused.  
  
Prue looked back at her sisters and the demon was sitting at a little table, wearing fake jewelry and a pretty hat, and having tea with Piper and Phoebe. The demon picked up a little teddy bear sitting next to the table and made it do a little dance. He got too into it and picked up the teddy bear, jumped out of his seat hugging the bear to him, and he started twirling like a ballerina. Prue sat wide-eyed in amazement. She had never seen and evil demon act like that before. The smurf untied Prue and the chair she had been in disappeared. She petted the fur ball on her shoulder and continued to stare at her sisters who were now dancing with the demon.  
  
"Okay, I'm supposed to find out why you're here." She said tearing her gaze from the scene and looking at the smurf again.  
  
"I'm just messing with your head. I'm so bored." He said.  
  
"What?" Prue shouted in anger. "You mean there is nobody after me and my sisters?"  
  
"No, not really. Well, I mean there is always someone after you, you are the Charmed Ones." The smurf answered.  
  
"I can't believe this! You just wait you little brat, one way or another I'm gonna get you out of my head!" Prue promised. "I am so gonna get rid of you!"  
  
"Good luck!" The smurf said. "You can't get rid of me unless I want you to. I'm more a part of you now than you know." He smiled a perverse little smile and then disappeared and Prue woke up.  
  
(End of Part 3)  
  
  
  
Prue opened her eyes and sat up. Piper and Phoebe were in Piper's office laughing about something. Prue got up and walked around a bit before going into the office.  
  
"Oh, Prue, you're up." Piper stated.  
  
"So? How'd it go?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Nothing is after us, if that's what you mean. That wretched smurf was just playing with my mind." Prue told them. "He said I couldn't get rid of him. I have to find a way, though, I could end up killing myself with these dreams."  
  
"You nearly did already." Piper reminded her. "Remember what the paramedic said? You were lucky, at the speed you hit the ground you could've really been injured. Seriously."  
  
"There has to be a way to get rid of him. I got rid of that other weird dream guy, the scientist. This smurf can't be unbeatable." Prue said.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock on the front door. Piper, Phoebe, and Prue exchanged glances.  
  
"Who could that be? No one knows we're at the club, and today was my day off so the club is closed." Piper said.  
  
"I'll go answer it." Phoebe offered.  
  
"No, Pheebs, I have the active power, I'll answer it. We don't know who it could be." Prue said.  
  
"Why don't we just go together?" Piper compromised trying to hurry things along as her curiosity ate away at her.  
  
The sisters left the office and went to the door, Prue in the front with Piper and Phoebe on either sides of her. Prue used her power to unlock and open the door, still standing close enough so that it would appear as though she had done it herself. The door opened and a woman was standing there.  
  
"Can we help you?" Piper asked.  
  
"I have a delivery for a Pheber?" The woman said fumbling over the name.  
  
"You mean Phoebe?" Prue asked.  
  
"Ah, that's it." She said looking down at her list. "Is that any of you?"  
  
"What is the package?" Prue asked.  
  
"I'm not to say unless one of you is Phoebe."  
  
"I'm Phoebe." Phoebe spoke up. "But I may not want to accept. What is it?"  
  
"It's a giant stuffed smurf doll. You want it or not, I got deliveries to make." The woman said sounding agitated.  
  
"I'll take it. Do you know who sent it?" Phoebe asked while signing for the package.  
  
"No name, but he was a red haired guy. Kinda hunky." She said with a little grin.  
  
"Thanks." Prue said.  
  
"Have a good day." The woman said, and then she turned and left.  
  
Prue closed the door behind her as Piper and Phoebe struggled to carry the giant box. The box came up at least to Prue's shoulders when they set it down.  
  
"That is one big doll." Phoebe laughed.  
  
"Well, what now? Do we think the red haired guy is behind this?" Piper asked while Phoebe opened the box.  
  
"He could be. He's be in one of my dreams and he did attack you at the mall." Prue said.  
  
"But he's sent us a giant smurf with the stomach area ripped out and filled with magical supplies." Phoebe said showing her sisters different jars of potion ingredients, candles, new books, and other things of the sort. "Oh, there's a letter." Phoebe said pulling it out of the smurf's mouth. It was in a yellow envelope with 'To the Halliwell Witches' written across the front in calligraphy.  
  
Prue immediately snatched it up and opened it. She pulled out the letter and carefully unfolded it. She skimmed it with her eyes before reading it aloud to her sisters.  
  
" Dear Witches,  
  
I would like to start of by saying that I am sorry I can upon you  
  
rather forcefully at the mall, Piper. I wish you to know that I only  
  
meant to help. I knew your sister was in danger, and soon she will be in pain.  
  
I don't know exactly what to do to help you. I know nothing of the magic that  
  
Is forcing itself upon Prue. I only know that my magic is of no good to you.  
  
I suggest you try contacting the spirit of a past witch, perhaps your mother or  
  
Grandmother. They, I'm sure, would have some idea of how to defeat this.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Flamestrike "  
  
  
  
"Okay, who is this guy and how does he know all that stuff about us?" Piper asked thinking this was all a little creepy.  
  
"I haven't got a clue, but since he's trying to help I'll take advantage of it." Prue said, digging through the inside of the smurf's gut.  
  
"Alright then. Well, since no one was really after us can we go back to the house?" Phoebe asked. "All our supplies and the book are there, not here."  
  
"I think we better." Prue said.  
  
The girls got their things together and headed home, they made a stop off at a little drugstore to get some caffeine pills so Prue wouldn't fall asleep. Once home they hauled the box with the smurf inside it into the house. They laid him in the kitchen and headed for the attic.  
  
"Okay, we know Grams is kinda around, so we don't really need to do some kind of summoning spell or anything we just need to get her attention some how." Phoebe said.  
  
"How do we do that?" Piper asked.  
  
"Well, she's always helped us out when we're looking for something in the book and we can't find what we need, so maybe that's what we should do first. Maybe we should look in the book for something." Phoebe said. Prue and Piper both gave her a very skeptical look. "Okay, I know this is a long shot, but I don't know what else to do? Have you braincases got a better idea? If you do then put words to it."  
  
"She's right," Piper said with a sigh. "We have to start somewhere, and I guess here is as good as anywhere."  
  
"Well, then lets get looking." Prue said opening the book.  
  
They spent nearly an hour looking through the book and discussing different things.  
  
"I never knew the book could seem so large." Prue said.  
  
"Tell me about it." Phoebe agreed.  
  
"This isn't working, you guys. We're not finding anything, and we're just wearing ourselves out." Piper said sounding discouraged.  
  
"Well, I don't know what to do now." Phoebe said.  
  
"We can't give up. We have to think of something." Prue said.  
  
"We will, Prue. It just might take some time." Piper said. "Pheebs, you take those books that Flamestrike sent us," She pointed to one of the stacks they had divided the books into. "and see what you can find. I'm going to look through these books. Prue, there's a stack on that table for you, and if you start feeling sleepy then take one of those pills we bought." Piper said taking charge.  
  
Phoebe picked up her stack of about ten books and went to the table, Prue joined her with her own stack, but Piper spread her books out on the floor and sat on a pillow. It was around six o'clock when they started looking through the books and they continued looking for about five hours. None of them had found anything.  
  
"This is hopeless." Phoebe said. "Grams, where are you when we need you?"  
  
"Phoebe, it's not hopeless. We just don't know where to look, or what we're looking for." Piper said.  
  
"Prue, did you find anything?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"No," Prue said with a large yawn. "But, I'll keep looking. I've got like three books left."  
  
(End of Part 3)  
  
(Part 4)  
  
Hours later the girls still hadn't found anything that could help them out. Prue could tell that Piper and Phoebe were exhausted. She urged the to try and get a few hours of sleep.  
  
"And then what? Once we're asleep you'll get tired and fall asleep and kill yourself?" Piper said quickly. "I don't think so, I'm not taking my eyes off of you. Especially, after you jumped out of a moving vehicle."  
  
"But—"  
  
"No buts, Prue! Now, just keep looking. That man wouldn't have sent all of these books if they didn't have something he thought could help us." Piper snapped back.  
  
"Prue, Piper, come look at this." Phoebe said, gesturing them to the table she was sitting at. Prue and Piper came over and looked at the book she had in front of her.  
  
"A dream thief? Boy, where do they come up with these names?" Prue asked reading.  
  
"Apparently, this thief can take the shape of anything it wants in your mind. It uses things in your memory, and it manipulates you through your dreams, stealing away the dreams that would be your mind's creation and replacing them with his own imagined scenario. What he wants to happen, happens." Phoebe looked up at her sisters. "Most of his victims end up killing themselves by sleepwalking off of a building roof, or jumping out in the middle of traffic, or playing with knives in the kitchen, things that could seem like either suicide or an accident."  
  
"Hmm, that's not good." Piper muttered.  
  
"Say anything about getting rid of one?" Prue asked.  
  
"It says that he feeds off of your fears and desires. He can either create the worst of nightmares or the best of dreams. Since your mind is always fearing or wanting something he is never hungry. Even when you don't think you fear or desire anything there is always something deep down inside you that feeds him." Phoebe read. "He usually grows so strong that he becomes a part of you that you can't get rid of."  
  
"That's what he said to me." Prue sighed. "He said he was more a part of me than I knew."  
  
"However," Phoebe continued practically ignoring Prue's comment. "Everything that is a part of you has the ability to be changed. Just as you are able to change your personality you are able to change your imagination, your fears, and your desires. When you change abruptly the thief can become disoriented and confused not knowing what to feed off of, this can weaken him greatly but not rid you of him."  
  
"So, that's what we'll do." Piper said.  
  
"Piper, I can't just stop being afraid of something and start being afraid of something else." Prue said.  
  
"Well, according to this book you can cast a pre written spell or write a new spell to change your fears and desires for a temporary time period. Somewhat making you a different person. When the thief is it's weakest we cast an extraction spell that will bring him out of your body. He will die without his energy supply which he can only get through a person's fears and desires by being in their mind or soul or where ever he goes." Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, let's get moving then." Prue said. "Phoebe you write the extraction spell, you're best at that. Piper and I will look in the Book of Shadows and see if there is some sort of personality change spell."  
  
Phoebe nodded and went to work while her sisters started flipping pages in the book. Phoebe scrawled down a few possible lines, crossed out a few words here, rearranged a line there, and finally came up with a spell that satisfied her. She told Prue and Piper that she was finished and the joined her in the middle of the room.  
  
"We couldn't find a spell to do what we wanted, but there was one that would switch a person's personality with someone else's." Prue stated. "So, who wants to be me for a while?"  
  
"I'll do it." Piper said. "Phoebe, where exactly does he go after we get him…um, out of her?"  
  
"He should just die within minutes of being exposed without his food and energy supply. We will have to keep him away from us until he dies." Phoebe said.  
  
"What is he going to look like?" Prue asked.  
  
"That book said he will be a jelly-like, slime, substance." Phoebe answered.  
  
"All right well, let's do this." Piper urged.  
  
Prue and Piper stood in the center of the room while they read the personality switch spell that Prue had in her hand. Phoebe stood off to the side watching. As soon as they were finished Piper and Prue both staggered back a little with the sudden change.  
  
"Okay, weird!" Piper stated in the manner Prue normally talked.  
  
"Let's get this done with." Prue urged, as Piper would have.  
  
"It takes a minute or two for the thief to get confused so just hang on a second." Phoebe said.  
  
"Prue, you are one cluttered lady." Piper said. "How do you get anything done?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Prue asked looking at Piper funny.  
  
"I don't know, it's just that your personality is like all over the place, if that makes any sense. It just doesn't seem…I don't know, very together." Piper tried to explain the feeling she had. "I don't know what I mean. I just know you have a lot of character traits that are kinda just there, and I have no clue what I'm talking about so let's get this going." Piper said again.  
  
"Boy, impatient as ever, huh Prue?" Phoebe laughed looking from Piper to Prue, neither one of them found it very funny. Phoebe's little smile vanished. "Right, so how about we do the spell now?"  
  
"Good idea." Prue said.  
  
They got together again, and read the spell aloud. They finished and looked around waiting for something to happen. At first nothing changed, and then Prue suddenly dropped to her knees and grabbed her head between her hands. She started to moan from the pain. Phoebe thought something was wrong. She ran to Prue's side to see if she was okay. Prue pushed her back into Piper's arms.  
  
"Stay away, he's coming." Prue managed through the pain.  
  
Prue collapsed to the floor and Phoebe nearly ran to her, but Piper held her back unsure what was happening. A white ball of light floated up above Prue's head and then turned to a mercury looking liquid and fell to the floor. It rolled around in front of Prue's head for a moment before lifting into the air and flying towards Piper's face. She brought her hands up to freeze it and found that her powers didn't work. Her eyes went wide as Phoebe tackled her to the ground.  
  
"What's wrong? Why didn't you freeze him?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I tried, but I can't. My personality isn't mine now, I don't think I have control over my trigger anymore, I don't know what Prue would use to make my power work." Piper said. "I don't know what else it could be."  
  
Prue stirred but didn't get up. Phoebe saw the ball of mercury light flying towards her and she picked up a baseball bat nearby and swung hard at it. It was flung across the room into the wall and, in a very small chipmunk type of voice Piper and Phoebe heard him scream, "No! Not the wall!"  
  
There was a small thud as he splattered against and ran down the wall. Prue shook her head and stood up in time to see the little ball of mercury light heading for her face. She tried to use her powers but found the same result as Piper. Piper tried to use her emotions to freeze him as Prue would use her emotions to use her powers on him but it didn't work. She grabbed the bat from Phoebe and went after the ball like Prue would have done, while Prue ran behind Phoebe. Piper chased the thing around the room swatting at it but missing. When it came after Prue again she screamed and quickly ducked, and it hit the wall, again.  
  
"How long does this take?" Piper yelled at Phoebe as she kicked the ball across the room.  
  
"I'm not sure, it said only a few minutes." Phoebe answered as the ball flew around her head making her flail her arms at it trying to swat it away from her ears.  
  
She slapped it hard and it fell to the ground. Prue screamed and jumped off a chair onto it. Before she landed they heard a chipmunk voice say, "Oh, Damn!" Then there was a loud squishing sound and silver glowing liquid shot out from under her foot. Piper lowered the baseball bat, and Phoebe ran her hand through her hair, tidying it up a bit. Prue just looked at Piper and Phoebe unsure if she should move. Phoebe glanced at Piper and she nodded. When Prue saw Piper nod she jumped back and ran to Phoebe putting her younger sister between her and the goo. Phoebe had to keep from laughing at seeing Prue run to her for protection. Piper walked over to the goo and nudged it with the tip of the bat. It didn't nudge back. Stomped on it once, just to be sure. Phoebe got a dustpan and swept it up, and just to be sure she poured it into a jar to throw into the fireplace later for burning.  
  
"How long until the personalities return to normal?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Not long, probably one hour or so." Prue answered.  
  
"We need to get rid of that…thing." Piper said in all seriousness.  
  
'Just like Prue', Phoebe thought with a small smile. 'Always eager to get the job done.'  
  
They walked down to the living room and Piper started a fire in the fireplace. When she had it going pretty good Phoebe threw the jar on the fire and blue sparks went flying. When the sparks died down they decided to grab something to eat.  
  
"Who's gonna cook?" Phoebe asked with a little laugh. 


End file.
